Air-valve for air-compressors.



No. 893,851. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

J. G. LBYNER. AIR VALVE FOR AIR GOMPRESSORS.

APPLICATION FILED HAY 28.1906.

2 SHHETS-SHEET 1.

w 4 M" 25 g v I VWMEE No. 893,851. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908. J; G. LEYNER.

AIR VALVE FOR AIR GOMPRESSORS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 28, 1906.

2 SHEETS BHBET 2.

UNITED v STATES JOHN GEORGE LEYNER,

or DENVER, COLORADO.

AIR-VALVE,FOR nm-cournnssons.

Specification of'Lettera Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Application filed Kay 28, 1906. Serial No. 819,137. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GEORGE LEYNER,

a citizen of the United States of America,

residing in the city andcounty of Denver and Stateof Colorado, have invented a new and useful Air-Valve for Air-Compressors, of which the followin is a specification.

My invention re ates to' improvements in valves and especially air inlet valves-for air compressors, and the objects of my invention are: first to provide a sensitive valve that will res 0nd to the slightest piston air suction throug its parts into the cylinder, and to the slightest piston air pressure against it. Second, to provide a thin resilient disk valve that is composed of one integral piece of s ring metal. And third, to provide a simp e, mexpensive, durable, and thoroughly practical air inlet valve for air compressors. attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 3-

Figure 1, is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of an air compressing cylinder, showing my improved air valve secured upon the inner side of each cylinder head, in -posi tion to normally cover the air inlet ports therein. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the valve detached from the cyhnder head. Fig. 3, is a view of the inner face of one of the cylinder heads, showing the air inlet orts and the rojecting valve seats surroun in the ports.

ig. 4, is a vertical, longitudina, sectional view of a compound, intercooling, air compressor, equipped with my improved air valves. Fig. 5, is a perspective view of the valve, showing the outer rim moved out beyond the disk portion, as when operated by the inflowing air in a cylinder. And Fig. 6, is a perspective view of a cylinder head, removed, showing one of the valves secured thereto.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1, in general, designates an air compressing cylinder, showing my improved air inlet valve operatively connected thereto. The cylinder 1, is provided with an outlet air port 2, which is formed along the side of the cylinder in" a lug 3, and which communicates with the bore of the cylinder by orts 4 and 5, at opposite ends of the cylin er close to the cylinder heads 6. The cylinder is provided at its opposite ends with cylinder heads 6, which are detachablysecured to it, and in each cylinder head air inlet ports 7, are formed, which arearranged in a circle and are preferably arranged in the form 0 short curved'slets, positioned at equal distances apart throughout the circle. cylinder, I- form a raised circular hub 8,

which fits snugly but projects loosely into the cylinder, and the ports 7, project through it. On the surface 0 this boss, on each side edge of the ports 7, I preferably formtwo slightly raised ring sha ed bosses, which extend entirely around t e surface of the projecting hub on the opposite ed es of the ports. The top surfaces of t ese ringshaped bosses, are machine. finished, and form the valve seat. The inner side surfaces of both cylinder heads, are alike", and are consequently. .bot'lr provided with the air inlet ports and with the raised valve seats,

LBQ On 'the' inner side of each although if desired these raised valve seats ma be dis ensed with.

he who e surface of .the face of the hub, is finished perfectly smooth and fiat, within and without these raised valve seats; and against the face of each hub I secure a spring plate disk valve 9, by means of screws 10, which fit in countersunk holes 11, formed in the central portion of the valve, and-are threaded into the cylinder heads. This valve consists of a thin circular disk of thin spr' steel, the central portion of which is secure to the central portion of the hub, but the outer circumferential edge of which is arranged and adapted to resiliently bear and seat against the raised valve seats of the hubs, and as the valve disk is made perfectly flat, its center is sprung in slightly by the screws, which causes its circumferential rim portion to bear' with a slight resilient or spring pressure against the circular valve seats, all around its circumferential peri heral surface. It is essential however, t at the valves bearing against the valve seat be cumferential peripheral rim su ace, and not Consequently it is essential that the lift quicker or higher at one point than at an other. I carry out this feature of my invention in the following manner: At diametrically opposite portions of the disk and between its peripheral valve seat portion and its central portion, I form two concentrically arranged slots 15, of preferably the same length, and area, and position one end of them at diametrically opposite points A and B, on any diametrical line of the disk, as for example line 16, extending each of said slots around the disk the same size and area in a concentric curve to close to the diametrical center line 16, and on the same side of this line as the slot started from, and at these points C and D, also diametrically opposite each other, the slots are preferably reduced in width and are also curved in towards the center of the disk enough to avoid the opposite slot and then extended around the disk inside of the opposite outside slot to close to where its own slot started, where it terminates at a short distance from where it started, but on the opposite side of the diametrical line 16, both slots being alike and formed concentric to the center of the disk, and at the same distance from the center of the disk, and each arranged to curve in towards the center of the disk to avoid the other when it meets it. These slots thus almost entirely encircle the disks in opposite directions from each other, and the first half portion of each slot on its own half side of the disk is arranged eccentric to axis of the disk and at the same distance from its center, after which they turn towards the center a short distance and then run around the opposite half of the disk from the half where each started from within each other. This arrangement of slots forms a narrow peripheral rim ortion that is held to the central portion 0 the disk only by a narrow portion of the plate D, on opposite sides of the plate; consequently as the plate is raised the tongues 17 rise at an angle, their ends 18 rising first and the tongues incline downward to their ends I), where they join the fixed central portion of the disk, and the peripheral rim all around will rise horizontally level away from the valve seats when a suction of air flowing into the cylinder causes it to move away or rise from its ring seats evenly all around a sufficient distance to allow air enough to instantly enter to fill the cylinder, and when the peripheral rim moves away from its ring seats instead of moving straight u it turns slightly towards the fixed ends of t e tongues, which act as a center from which the free ends of the tongues radiate, and as the free ends of the tongues rise their free ends move slightly towards the fixed end and .draw the peripheral rim around, and as they both operate in the same direction, a slight turning movement is given the rim as it lifts from its seats, and this. turning movement acts to give the valve 'tercoolin rim a frictional contact with the seat rings when the valve seats instead of a straight flat contact; consequently the valve will seat closer and better, as the slight turning movement causes the face of the peripheral rim to strike the seat rings with a very slight sliding pressure when a pressure of air in the cylinder causes it to take its seat instantaneously and tightly. The cylinder is provided with a reciprocating piston 19, from which a piston rod 20 extends through a stufiing box 21 and gland 22, forming part of the cylinder head. The cylinder is provided with air outlet valves 23, which are placed to control the air outlet apertures at each end of the cylinder, which maybe of any suitable type.

If desired, the very slightly raised seat rings may be dispensed with, and the entire surface face of the hub be made perfectly smooth. The valve may be made reversible so that both sides of it may be used against the seat in case after long use on one side its tension has been slightly relaxed, so that the peripheral rim does not seat, and as the valve disk is quite thin it is preferable to form another set of screw holes and countersink them on the op osite side, as the disk is too thin to countersink one set of holes from both sides, if flush headed screws are used, but of course if overlappin headed screws are used, one set of lain holes may be used.

In Fig. 4 I have 1 lustrated my improved disk valve operatively attached to an air in tcrcooling compound air com ressor, only the air compressing cylinders are s own, the steam driving cylinder bein left off. In this type of compressor, the cylinder is provided with a water jacket 27, which is provided with a series of air conducting tubes 28, that extend through it from end to end, and the cylinder heads are provided with air chambers 29, which connect by suitable passages with an air inlet chamber 31, which is positioned in the supporting base plate 32, and which connects with the atmos here. The inner wall of each of the cylinder heads, is provided with the circular row of air inlet ports 7, and the valve is attached to the inner face of the hub of this inner wall the same as in Fig. 1, the arrangement of the inner wall of these chambered cylinder heads and of the disk valves and ports being the same for this incompound com ressor, as above describe and as shown in ig. 1. The outlet valves are also the same, but the air passages are arranged differently, and as they do not form a part of my resent invention, and as they are fully descri ed in my ending application No. 123,539,.filed Octo er 1, 1902,

or an im roved air compressor, the following brief escription of them is all that is necessary. The air entering the chamber of the base plate flows into the air chambers of both the front and rear cylinder heads of the largest or low pressure cylinder, and is drawn into the cylinder through the circular row of port holes in the inner wall of these cylinder eads through. the disk valve 1nto the cylinflows into the front cy inder head of the high pressure cylinder, and through the tubes 28 to the rear cylinder head of the high pressure cylinder, from which the piston draws it into the cylinder through the orts 7 and disk valves 9, in the inner wal s of the cylinder heads, and the air is compressed-there and forced out through the air outlet valves and through the cooling tubes 42 into the port 43 of the upper connecting piece 44, into the outlet pipe 45, which conveys it to a storage tank or to use. The high and low cylinders are provided with pistons 46, and a iston rod 47 connects them-together, and t e piston rod 47 also extends from the low pressure cylinder through its front head.

My improved air inlet disk valve is adapted for use with all kinds and types of air compressors. It is extremely sensitive to act either to open or to close to the sli htest air pressure It is simple, durable, and and takes the place ateach end of the cylinder of a plurality of independent air inlet valves that are much more expensive, more liable to get out of order, and are not so sensitive to air pressures.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an air-compressor, a valve comprising a resilient sheet-metal disk'cut to provide central and peri heral portions joined by two opposite y d isposed substantially concentric curved strips. p

2. In an air-compressor, a valve comprising a resilient sheet-metal'disk cut to provide central and peripheral portions joined by two opposite y isposed substantially con centric curved strlps, and securing means for said central portlon.

3. In an air-compressor, anannular'valveport, a resilient sheet-metal disk valve cut to provide central and peripheral portions oined by age oppositely dlsposed substantially concentric curved strips, said periph' eral portion disposed over sald' port and said central portion secured within said port.

4. In an airvalve for air compresslng cylinders, the combination of the c linder, the piston, and the pistonjrod, of t e cylinder eads havin a valve seat surface projectin into said cylinder, having a slightly raise valve seat, said seat comprising two circular rings, curved portscircumferentially a1!- ranged through said cylinder head between reliable,

said rings and separated by metal lugs, a thin disk of spring metal secured at its center to the axial center portion of said valve seat in such a manner as to be reversible thereon, and having a narrow strip portion of its peri heral rim arranged to seat evenly and with a slight resilient ressure on said seat rings, and oppositely dlsposed concentrically arranged slots extendin through said disk between its secured axia center portion and a narrow strip around its peripheral rim portion, said slots being of predetermined area and arrangement and adapted to form oppositely arranged elastic tongues of metal to allow said peripheral rim portion to be raised uniformly throughout its circumference with a resilient tension on said tongues, and ada ted to be opened by the air suction stro es of said piston and to be closed by the air pressure strokes of said piston.

5. In an air inlet valve for air com ressors,

the combination with the water j ac eted air intercooling compound low and high pressure cylinders, the piston and piston rods, the air outlet valves and assages, and the air inlet base box, the air c ambered cylinder heads, comprising outer and inner walls, the cylinder eads of said low pressure cylinder connected to said air inlet base box, and the air inlet passage extension pieces and cylinder heads between said low and high pressure cylinders arranged to convey the compressed air from said low ressure cylinders to said high distant cylin er, with air inlet ports in the inner walls of each of said cylinder. heads therethrough into said cylinders, a pair of sli htly raised valve seats in the form of circu ar rings surrounding the opposite side edges of said air inlet ports on the inside face of the inner walls of said cylinder heads, and a thin circular disk of any suitable spring metal secured to each of said valve seats to seat against said port ring seats and control with a narrow circumferential peripheral rim portion said air inlet ports, and having the peripheral rim port seat portion of said valve so flexibly and resiliently connected with its fixed central portion by means of slots and,v freed resilient tongue portions as to be resiliently moved to open said air inlet ports by the air suction strokes of said pistons, and to be closed by the air pressure strokes of said pistons, said resilient flexibility of the pe ripheral seat rim of said disk valve being ac complished by oppositely and concentrically arranged freed tongues of metal from the body of said disk between its fixed central portion and its eripheral portion.

6. In an air in ct valve for air compressors, the combination with the'cylinder and the piston and piston rod, of a cylinder head for said cylinder, having the circular row of air inlet ports, the raised'ring valve seats on the op osite edges of the cylinder side of said' cy inder head, and the spring metal. circular disk valve arranged and adapted to seat at its peripheral edge on said ring seats and to be secured at its center to bear with a very slight pressure against said ring seats, -and having its peripheral rim surface so arranged relative to its fixed central portion that it possesses a flexible resilient relation thereto to such an extent that it very sensitively rests firmly and evenly on said ring seats through its circumference, and is instantly opened or moved away from said seatby the an suction strokes ofsaid piston, and instantly closed by the air pressure strokes of said piston, said resihent flexibility, being accomplished by freeing from the body of said disk valve oppositely and concentrically arranged tongues of metal between its central fixed portion and its seat covering rim portion by means of slots of predetermined ength, width, and radius re ative to said tongues, which are also of relative predetermined length, width, and radius.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN GEORGE LEYNER. \Vit-nesses:

G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, BESSIE THOMPSON. 

